SWEET CELEBRATIONS Terdal's works demostrate the adoration of the innocent

In his exhibition, Pages From My Diary, Gadag-born artist Ramesh Terdal tries to evoke a nostalgic feel on canvas. The 33-year-old painter, who holds a BFA from Vijaya College of Fine Arts, Gadag, and MFA from Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore, has participated in several solo and group shows, art camps and workshops.

Reflective of the predominantly rural environment and setting he comes from, Terdal presents a consciously etched rustic mood and appearance in his work. Using deep brown colours and textures for the background, he tries to draw the viewer's attention to the simple and restful ambience of the village life. In one of the vertically elongated images, he renders a cane leaning against the wall of a hut, whose roof bears a rich red hue. The small window in a corner of the wall, a raised platform on which an earthen pot is placed, and a dog lying motionless in the foreground complete the feel of a silent and indolent setting. In another similar image, the pot is replaced with a wooden stool, and the window, by a lantern. The door of the house is slightly ajar and a pair of blue hawai chappals suggests that someone could have just entered the house. The dog also seems to have just woken up. Without the actual human form being present in either of these images, there is an unspoken tale being narrated.

Tightly composed

It is not that the artist is averse to delineate the human form. In fact, in many of his images, he portrays side-profiled women and children who are seen in proximity with their dwellings. He carries the same rusticity inside and outside the rural homes by placing inanimate objects such as wooden cartwheels, canes, pots, lanterns and so on. One can decipher a semblance of simple sophistication in these repetitive images even as the decorative elements that have sneaked in cannot be missed.

The exhibition includes a series of portraits of smiling, young children. The tightly composed close-ups demonstrate the artist's adoration of the innocent. But, more often than not, his effort remains only on the surface and does not capture the inner personality. A similar comment can be made for the Child with a Balloon series, where the intention seems more to please the eye than probe the character.

The exhibition concludes on May 25 at the gallery of Shreshta Art Resources, located opposite Sankey Tank Park entrance, R.M.V. Extension, Sadashivanagar. You can call 23611129.